Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

At 8 PM, the House of Response.

It's been almost a week since school started, and this is the first time Avery and Alex have come here.

It wasn't that they only started to settle down after a week of fun and felt it was time to get down to business; Avery simply hadn't had enough fun yet.

It was Alex. He brought it up last night, saying he wanted to continue practicing under Regulus's guidance.

He's always been a bit sensitive.

Dumbledore's speech at the start of the semester, the newly added Defense Against the Dark Arts course, and the occasional glances exchanged between the upperclassmen in the corridors.

And in the Slytherin common room, there was an indescribable atmosphere; some people were excited, some were nervous, and some pretended nothing had happened.

Alex could sense that unsettling atmosphere was indeed spreading.

Of course, not all young wizards are like that.

Those who only know how to play all day long can't possibly have any of this in their minds. After finishing their homework and getting decent exam results, what else can they do besides play?

But Alex is different. Even the gentlest pureblood is still a pureblood, and even if he doesn't want to cause trouble, he's still a Slytherin.

Whether out of inner unease or a desire to gain the power to protect himself and his family, he felt it was time to learn some real skills.

Besides, having someone like Regulus by your side would be a waste not to make use of him; others wouldn't even have such an opportunity.

Alex sometimes thinks that if he hadn't been assigned to Regulus's dorm room, and someone else had been in that position, Regulus would have included that person in his group as well.

He was just lucky and took advantage of his roommate, but as Regulus once said, luck is also a part of strength.

He felt that this statement couldn't be more true, so a week after the start of the semester, he took the initiative to speak up.

And what about Avery?

Avery had a great holiday and continued playing when school started. They spent their days together, but at night, when Regulus and Hermes disappeared, he selectively ignored them.

If you want to play, there are so many things to do.

Quidditch, Wizard's Chess, the crackling explosion cards, and the unexplored corners of the castle.

I'd arrange to play a few friendly matches with the guys from the next dorm, or I'd just lie on the sofa in the common room and do absolutely nothing.

He was living a good life, but he wasn't stupid.

Regulus was the center of the small group, that was already clear, but in terms of numbers, they were only two to two.

He was paired with Alex, and Regulus was paired with Hermes, making it two to two. If someone is working hard, then someone else should not.

But Alex was going anyway, and he couldn't let himself be the one left out.

Moreover, he knew that such an opportunity was indeed rare.

The Cuthbert family has no shortage of resources. Whatever magic one wants to learn, they can teach it at home. Even if that doesn't work, they can hire the best teachers and find the most complete collection of books.

But those things are different from what Regulus can teach.

The teacher was paid to teach him, but Regulus taught him because he considered him one of his own.

Avery knew perfectly well what was going on, which is why he came too.

Regulus looked at them and knew what was going on.

One was driven by insecurity, seeking a sense of security through training; the other came along because they didn't want to be alone.

But in any case, it's better than anything else if they take the initiative to come.

He never forces anyone to do anything. Strength must be acquired by oneself; you can't learn anything real if you're forced to train by others.

He could still use some tricks on Sirius, give him a taste of the difference, and make him want to become stronger.

But he wouldn't do that with others; at most, he would interfere to a limited extent.

Now they come on their own initiative, and even though it's only been a week since school started, these young wizards are already willingly getting back into the swing of things to train.

Regulus felt a little gratified; the child was capable of doing serious work and deserved praise.

"Let's have a spar first," he said. "Let me see how much you've improved over the holiday."

Avery and Alex exchanged a glance and drew their wands.

Regulus stood aside and watched them.

Actually, you don't even need to look to know; a simple scan with your magic perception is enough to sense their condition.

There has been progress, but that's a natural consequence of getting older, and has little to do with whether I practiced during the holidays.

That's the average second-grade level, at best considered excellent.

Avery struck first: "Disarm you!"

A beam of red light shot towards Alex, who dodged to the side, simultaneously replying, "Obstacles everywhere!"

Avery was hit, but only paused for a moment before breaking free and casting a stun spell in return.

The two started fighting.

The incantation was shouted loudly and with great momentum. The movement was also a bit better than last semester. The incantation knew to dodge to the sides and to find cover.

Occasionally, I can dodge the opponent's spells, and occasionally I can launch one or two impressive attacks.

But in Regulus's eyes, it was too slow.

The incantations were soft and gentle, yet their trajectories in the air were so clear it was as if someone were playing them in slow motion.

Speed, force, and precision are all insufficient.

He even thought that if a Muggle or a Squib of the same age were trained for a few days, they might be able to get close enough to take them down.

Regulus shouted, "Stop!"

The two stopped fighting, both slightly out of breath.

Avery smiled at Alex: "Not bad, you've improved quite a bit."

Alex smiled too, a shy smile, his face slightly flushed: "You're amazing too."

Both felt they had played well, were evenly matched, and enjoyed a very exciting match.

Hermes watched from the side, his lips twitching; he really wanted to shake his head.

These two guys definitely didn't do anything productive during their vacation. Their level of competence... well, never mind.

Regulus ignored them, walked to the door, and pushed it open: "Come with me."

The three followed him out, and when they pushed the door open again, the scene before them had changed.

A spacious training ground, surrounded by stone walls, with light overhead, but not glaring.

In the center of the arena, there were more than a dozen wooden mannequins, as tall as a person, holding fake magic wands, standing there motionless.

"This is a training ground," Regulus said. "The dummies can move and cast spells. The spells have a fixed strength and won't hurt people, but you'll feel it if you get hit."

He looked at Avery and Alex: "You two go in and practice until you can stay inside for ten minutes without getting hit."

Avery looked at the mannequins and swallowed hard. "Ten minutes?"

"Not enough?" Regulus looked at him. "Then twenty minutes."

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Avery immediately shut up.

Regulus continued, "Don't try to take it head-on. The dummies are shooting disarming and barrier spells. If you get hit, your wand will be knocked out of your hand, or you'll be immobilized."

If you can't dodge, use the Ironclad Charm to block, but the Ironclad Charm consumes magic power and won't last long.

"Find a way to use the terrain, the gaps between the dummies, and the intervals between their spellcasting."

"Go in."

Avery and Alex exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the training field.

The dummy immediately turned to them.

Regulus watched for a while and thought, "Hmm, that's going to be tough for them."

Then he turned to Hermes: "Let's fight."

Hermes looked at him but didn't move.

Regulus raised an eyebrow: "What?"

Hermes hesitated for a moment, thinking about something.

He has indeed made great progress during the holidays. Through training and real combat, he has witnessed real danger. If he were to face his past self from last semester, he could probably kill him in just a few moves.

But thinking about it carefully, even with these improvements, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference when fighting Regulus.

The gap is too big.

In that duel last semester, he had used all his strength, and Regulus barely even moved his wand. Now he has improved, but what about Regulus?

Only a week into the semester, he witnessed firsthand what Regulus was doing in Potions class. It wasn't just a matter of progress; it was something else entirely.

What can you learn by fighting him?

Regulus sensed his hesitation: "Just attack."

Since Regulus had said so, Hermes no longer hesitated: "Alright."

He drew his wand, took a few steps back, and assumed a starting stance, but another thought flashed through his mind.

Perhaps it won't reveal Regulus's true strength, but at least it will allow Regulus to see his own progress.

Hermes made his move, his first spell being a dark magic incantation: "Bone and Blood Stripping!"

A dark red beam of light shot from the tip of his staff, heading straight for Regulus's chest.

He practiced this spell throughout the vacation, and its power was much greater than last semester, and the casting speed was also much faster.

But Regulus didn't move. The spell hit him, but it was blocked by something. A very faint silver light flashed by, and the dark red beam of light dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Hermes didn't stop; a second attack followed immediately: "Shadow Binding Bite!"

Black tentacles emerged from the ground, attempting to entangle Regulus's ankles, but Regulus lifted his foot and stomped it down, crushing the tentacles.

Hermes shifted his position, casting a spell as he moved: "Shadow of Rift!"

A black blade of light slashed diagonally across.

"Touch of Corrosion!"

A dark green mist spread out.

"Blood Boiling Curse!"

"The Bone Erosion Curse!"

"The Gut-Dissecting Curse!"

He chanted incantations one after another, all of which he had practiced during his vacation. Some were fast, some were slow, some came from the front, and some from the side.

Their movement became more agile, constantly shifting and changing angles.

Magic control has been significantly improved, and the power of spells is also sufficient.

Regulus simply walked forward.

The wand was held in my hand, never raised, and the Ironclad Charm was not activated; at least, there was no obvious semi-transparent barrier.

The spells struck him, but only occasionally did a flash of silver light appear.

The Constant Iron Armor Spell is different from before.

After Betelgeuse lights up, the biggest change is in defensive magic; protection itself seems to become instinctive.

As the spells were cast, a silver light automatically illuminated and blocked them.

He doesn't need to do anything.

Hermes' attack was fierce, and Regulus could sense that he had indeed put in a lot of effort.

He used those dark magic spells much more skillfully than last semester, and his intentions were much more concealed. There were a few spells that he even sensed were already about to hit him.

But that's about it; not fast enough, not strong enough, not sudden enough, not profound enough.

Hermes' spells began to weaken, and his movements slowed down, clearly indicating that he was expending a great deal of magic and physical strength.

Regulus stopped in his tracks: "That's enough."

Regulus walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Great progress."

Hermes looked up at him.

"The power of the spells has doubled compared to last semester, the casting speed is also faster, the movement is more agile, and they know how to hide their intentions. There were a few spells that I didn't even notice before they were already right in front of me."

Hermes' lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to laugh.

But his smile had a gloomy quality to it. Sweat dripped down his face, his hair was plastered to his forehead, and he looked a bit disheveled. His smile was like a sinister grin.

He knew it himself, so he stopped laughing and took a breath.

Regulus continued, "But there's a problem."

Hermes looked at him, waiting for him to point it out.

"You rely too much on the power of dark magic," Regulus said. "Every spell you cast aims for maximum damage, which results in your magic being consumed too quickly."

Towards the end, you won't even be able to unleash a third of your power.

Hermes thought about it and agreed.

"Control the rhythm. Use powerful spells when you need to, and use less powerful spells when you need to. Don't let your opponent figure out your pattern."

Hermes nodded again.

Regulus patted him on the shoulder: "Take a break."

The two looked towards the training field, where Avery and Alex were desperately trying to escape from a pile of mannequins.

Avery's wand had flown away, and he was bent over searching for it on the ground. A dummy was chasing after him, constantly firing spells with a fake wand in its hand. Avery dodged and cursed all the while, spewing profanities.

Alex was slightly better off; he still had his wand in his hand, but he was cornered by three dummies and could only rely on the Ironclad Charm to withstand the attack. The Ironclad Charm was almost broken, and he was pale and sweating.

Another spell struck, Alex's armor shattered, and he was frozen in place, unable to move.

A dummy walked over, raised a fake wand, and pointed it at his face.

Avery finally found the wand, but as soon as he straightened up, he was struck by a disarming charm, and the wand flew away again.

He shouted even louder.

Regulus watched this scene unfold.

Hermes, standing nearby, twitched his lips again.

This time I genuinely want to laugh.